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Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the first part of the United Nations-backed Gaza halt in hostilities plan is close to conclusion, noting that the second stage must include the disarmament of Hamas.

Upcoming Talks in Washington

The Israeli prime minister mentioned he would examine the next steps in the coming weeks in Washington with Donald Trump, whose Gaza initiatives were outlined in a UN Security Council decision on 17 November.

“We are nearing complete the initial stage,” Netanyahu said. “But we have to make sure that we secure the identical outcomes in the second stage, and that’s something I look forward to discussing with President Trump.”

European Chancellor Visits Netanyahu

The prime minister was addressing the media at a shared press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who said: “Phase two must come now and then stage three must also be examined.”

Merz is the first leader of a major European state to meet Netanyahu in Israel since the international criminal court released warrants for arrest for the Israeli prime minister and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in November last year for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

After securing victory in federal elections in February, Merz had said he would invite Netanyahu to Germany notwithstanding the ICC warrants, but clarified on Sunday a visit was not at this time under consideration. Netanyahu dismisses the warrants as “baseless charges” from a “biased prosecutor”.

Details of the Current Ceasefire

Under the first phase of the existing ceasefire deal, Hamas released the remaining 20 living Israeli captives in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and it has transferred all but one of 28 remains of hostages who died during the war. Concurrently, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a truce line, resulting in them in occupation of 58% of the Gaza Strip.

Following the ceasefire was announced on 10 October, Israeli forces have killed more than 360 Palestinians, including an estimated 70 children. Three Israeli soldiers have been fatally wounded in Hamas attacks over the identical timeframe.

Future Stages and Ambiguous Sequencing

Neither Trump’s proposals, nor UN Security Council resolution 2803 which largely endorsed them, set out a schedule transitioning the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Hamas is supposed to disarm, Israeli troops are meant to retreat more, and an international stabilisation force (ISF) is to be established under the authority of a “board of peace” of world leaders headed by Trump, overseeing a technocratic Palestinian committee to run day-to-day governance of Gaza.

The sequencing of these actions is vague in Trump’s proposals or in resolution 2803. In his statements on Sunday, Netanyahu stressed Hamas disarmament.

“I think it’s vital to ensure that Hamas complies not only with the ceasefire, but also with their obligation which they agreed to to disarm and have Gaza demilitarized,” he asserted.

Potential Alternatives and Diplomatic Positions

Netanyahu raised the prospects of “other options” to the ISF, without elaborating on what those might be. He would not dismiss Israeli sovereignty of the West Bank, describing it as a subject of “debate”, and reiterated that Israel was adamantly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, the goal of the peace process supported by most European and Arab governments as well as the vast majority of UN member states.

ICC Warrants and Legal Proceedings

Netanyahu stated the primary reason he would not be able to make a reciprocal visit to Germany was the ICC arrest warrants, which he characterized as invented by the court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, as a way of shifting focus from allegations of sexual harassment against him. Khan has refuted any misconduct, but stepped down from his role in May awaiting the outcome of an inquiry.

Netanyahu said Khan was “harming the credibility of the ICC” with “unfounded charges of deprivation and genocide” from a “corrupt official”.

Another court, the international court of justice, is considering allegations that Israel has perpetrated genocide in Gaza. In September, a UN independent investigative commission found that Israel had carried out genocide.

Asked about the possibility of Netanyahu visiting Germany, Merz told reporters on Sunday: “There is little cause to discuss this at the current juncture.”